Festival Organiser
Sutton Music Festival
The Festival Organiser has overall responsibility for organising the Festival (and the Masterclass), supported by the Festival team, principally the Festival secretary and the Festival officers. This includes ensuring that the tasks delegated to the team are carried out to time.
Sutton Music Festival is an annual celebration of music and drama attracting entries from over 670 people to 170 classes. It is held over three weekends in late November, with a Prizewinners’ concert on the following Sunday. In 2025 it will be on the weekends of 7/9, 14/16 and 21/23 November with the Prizewinners’ concert on the afternoon of 30 November. Most classes are held at Overton Grange School, Sutton, with additional classes at Holy Trinity Church, Wallington and Homefield School, Sutton. A Masterclass is held in the following Spring. Further details are at https://www.suttonmusicfestival.org.uk/ The Festival Organiser has overall responsibility for organising the Festival (and the Masterclass), supported by the Festival team, principally the Festival secretary and the Festival officers. This includes ensuring that the tasks delegated to the team are carried out to time. The main duties include: • maintaining and updating the Festival timetable, ensuring that the Festival is ready to open for entries on 1 August • supporting section secretaries and dealing with issues and inquiries as entries come in • agreeing the number and timing of Festival sessions with section secretaries • liaising with Bluthner pianos over delivery of pianos • during the Festival ensuring rooms are correctly set up each day, with signage and poster displays, meeting and briefing adjudicators • ensuring stewards are in place, that the clerks have what they need, and that each ‘desk’ has a cash box and programmes as needed • preparing for the final concert, liaising with section secretaries • preparing the Masterclass A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required, which the Festival will arrange. Fuller details of specific duties are available on request.
Administration,Trusteeships & Committees,Events & Stewarding
Admin, Organising & Planning, Leadership Skills, Working part of Team
The Organiser needs to take responsibility for the Festival, but must be able to delegate most of the specific duties to other volunteers.
This role will especially appeal to volunteers who are interested in (mainly) classical music and speech and drama, and who want to see these arts flourish in Sutton. There are opportunities to watch performances by some highly gifted young (and older!) entrants, as well as developing team leadership skills.
Over the year this amounts to no more than two days a week, but it peaks in the autumn run up to the Festival. Presence during parts of the Festival is needed.
SM2 6TQ
Overton Grange School, Stanley Road, Sutton
Car parking is available in the school car park. Otherwise take the 80 or 280 bus from Sutton station to the Devonshire Avenue bus stop and walk down Ventnor Road.
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